I’ve had a block of Danish Anthon Berg marzipan in my cupboard for some time and decided that I really needed to find a good use for it. (Bit of a marzipan addict)! I had also seen many cherry cakes on the internet that I liked the look of. Therefore, when a pack of Supersweet King Cherries were reduced in the supermarket the other day I decided to combine these 2 things and so the Cherzipan Cake was born. Taking my mother’s basic cake mixture (from Lillian’s Applecake) I set about converting this into a loaf cake to incorporate 2 layers of king sized cherries and a middle layer of marzipan. The result was a beautifully moist cake with the freshness of cherries and the sweet almond back notes from the marzipan and almond extract. If you don’t like almond extract then simply leave it out for a cleaner flavour!
I will definitely be making this cake again and again as it was a big hit and even my husband gave it top marks!
Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy before adding the lemon zest and eggs gradually.
Fold in the flour gradually.
Put half the mixture in a loaf tin and push in half the cherries in a zig zag pattern for even slice distribution (ie not like photo)!
Lay the slices of marzipan over the top of the cherries.
Add the rest of the cake mixture, push remaining cherries in and cover using a spatula.
Cake is ready when springs back in the center when gently pressed.
Now sit back and enjoy, it’s one of your 5-a-day after all!
- 150g / 6oz Plain flour
- 150g / 6oz Butter (softened) or buttery margarine
- 75g / 3oz Soft brown sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Almond extract (optional)
- 75g White marzipan, thinly sliced (Anthon Berg preferably)
- 220g Cherries, pitted (King size good)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Sprinkling of Demerara sugar (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Butter and flour a 2lb loaf tin.
- Beat the softened butter or buttery margarine well with the sugar with an electric whisk or cake mixer until creamy.
- Beat in the lemon zest and eggs, one at a time. (Don’t worry if the mix splits).
- Sift the flour and baking powder together and gradually fold into the mixture.
- Put half the mixture into the loaf tin and place half the cherries into the batter then cover with the slices or marzipan.
- Put the rest of the batter into the tin then distribute the rest of the cherries on top and push them in.
- Using a spatula cover the cherries with the batter firming the mixture to the edge.
- Sprinkle Demerara sugar on top.
- Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 50 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch.
42 comments
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Bozena Hansen
14/07/2015 at 9:13 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I love this cake , I am baking over and over again:) Greetings from Denmark:)
Camilla
14/07/2015 at 11:30 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Great Bozena that’s lovely to hear, of course you’d like marzipan then if you’re Danish:-)
Natally
18/05/2015 at 7:14 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Looking at your recipes always makes me hungry!
Camilla
18/05/2015 at 10:11 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Natally – they do the same for me LOL:-)
Maya Russell
07/01/2015 at 6:24 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you for the step by step recipe – looks so easy.
Camilla
08/01/2015 at 10:47 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Pleasure:-)
Geoffrey Clark
02/01/2015 at 11:44 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
looks good, I could be about to break my no cake Jan resolution!
Camilla
03/01/2015 at 12:04 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Ooh, tough call LOL:-)
Lisa Sherratt
07/10/2014 at 6:18 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hello!
I made this at the weekend and its really delicious! However I used Amereno cherries and despite draining them as much as possible they all sank to the bottom of the mix whilst baking – would you recommend coating them in flour before putting them in?
Thanks!
Lisa
Camilla
08/10/2014 at 4:56 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hi Lisa
I don’t think coating a tinned/bottled cherry would make any difference to the sinking I think you just need to use fresh cherries. I am surprised that the ones sitting on top of the layer of marzipan managed to sink though? The cell structure in a cooked tinned cherry has been broken down and is therefore denser and heavier whereas a fresh cherry is more bouyant as it’s cell structure is still in tact. So stick the cooked one in water & it would sink but the fresh one would float. Hope that answers your question:-)
Camila
Lisa Sherratt
09/10/2014 at 11:36 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hi Camila
Thanks for your reply. Guess i’m making it at the wrong time of year then, not so many cherries left in the shops! i’ll have to try again next year!
Its still delicious!
Lisa
Camilla
11/10/2014 at 11:55 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Pleasure:-)
William Gould
21/09/2014 at 12:02 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Cherries and marzipan – two of my favourites!
glenn hutton
05/06/2014 at 9:18 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This looks mosit and very tasty!
Camilla
05/06/2014 at 1:47 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you:-)
Ursula Hunt
29/01/2014 at 1:55 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This looks delicious, very succulent
Camilla
30/01/2014 at 2:43 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks, it is:-)
Anthony Webster
17/01/2014 at 9:32 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Got to try this one it looks awsome.
Camilla
17/01/2014 at 11:30 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks:-)
Janice
11/01/2014 at 7:24 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I’d forgotten what a lovely recipe this is.
Camilla
11/01/2014 at 8:22 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks Janice:-)
Tracy Nixon
08/01/2014 at 10:32 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You photos always make me drool – will have to try this recipe! Thanks!
Camilla
08/01/2014 at 7:03 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks, kind of you to say:-)
Paul Wilson
02/01/2014 at 12:57 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I love cherries.
Maya Russell
01/01/2014 at 8:06 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I love marzipan and I love this Cherzipan cake!
Camilla
01/01/2014 at 10:53 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Maya, they do seem to go together really well:-)
Heather Haigh
29/10/2013 at 12:06 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Some of my favourite flavours – I have to try this!
Paul Wilson
24/10/2013 at 1:16 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Never heard of this before, great use for cherries.
Lisa Williams
04/10/2013 at 11:41 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
such a beautiful cake 🙂 Such great flavours too !
DANIELLE VEDMORE
29/09/2013 at 10:17 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Cant believe I have never seen this before – on my to do list! I adore cherries (my favourite fruit) and I do love marzipan too! Especially on Battenburg cake 🙂
Camilla
29/09/2013 at 11:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I can’t believe it either! You will love it then Danielle:-)
serialcrafter
20/02/2013 at 9:00 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
That looks fantastic, I love cherries and marzipan.
Camilla
20/02/2013 at 9:26 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks Janice, it was lush:-)
Archana
13/11/2012 at 7:46 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Will get the second part round up up in a day or two. The first one is up already..
Yours is in the second half. Thanks again.
Jen
20/10/2012 at 11:52 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I love the combination of cherry and almond and adding marzipan sounds like a great idea. My Mum always used to bake a cherry and almond cake at Christmas as a lighter alternative to the Christmas cake. I might have to see if we can give this a go when I go back to visit in a couple of months.
Camilla
21/10/2012 at 9:19 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Jen, I do hope you can as it was a great cake!
Jacqueline @How to be a Gourmand
01/10/2012 at 2:22 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Cherzipan? Great name Camilla and great creativity. It’s good when you have things leftover in your store cupboard that you can put to good use isn’t it?.
Love almonds, cherries and marzipan and you have a moist cake inside? Perfect 🙂
Camilla
01/10/2012 at 7:08 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Well I was inspired by the Banoffee Pie which was invented by The Hungry Monk in Jevington, to date the best restaurant I’ve ever been to. So I thought Cherzipan was a long time coming and I would put it out there!
Sophie
30/09/2012 at 6:54 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Ooh this sounds interesting… I too have some marzipan hanging around in a cupboard so this might be a good use for it 🙂
Camilla
30/09/2012 at 6:57 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I totally recommend this cake to you. It’s simple yet effective and totally delicious!
Archana
29/09/2012 at 6:10 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
To say wow to this cake . it seems inadequate but I do not have any words. Thanks for linking.
Camilla
29/09/2012 at 10:59 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you. I look forward to seeing the other entries!